The Bible states that David and Jonathan were in love with each other, but we know that this love was a deep, brotherly love that never became a sexual love. Several passages show that David and Jonathan were kindred soul mates, and nothing more.

A final clue characterizing David and Jonathan's relationship is stated by David in his lamentation over Jonathan's death in 2 Sam. 1:26 ESV: "I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women." Although David calls Jonathan his brother, David states that Jonathan's love was greater than a woman's love.

1Levin states that "'ervah, 'nakedness,' (is) a euphemism for sexuality" Levin, 1989, p. 117 and MacAuthur states in the ESV that in Lev. 18:6, uncover nakedness is "a euphemism for sexual relations" (p. 177, footnote for 18:6). Return

The meaning of 1 Sam. 20:41 "until David exceeded": The very last portion of 1 Sam. 20:41, ". . . and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded" has been translated many different ways. The term that the KJV translates as "exceeded" is gâdal and it means, "A primitive root; properly to twist, that is, to be (causatively make) large (in various senses, as in body, mind, estate or honor, also in pride): - advance, boast, bring up, exceed, excellent, be (-come, do, give, make, wax), great (-er, come to . . estate, + things), grow (up), increase, lift up, magnify (-ifical), be much set by, nourish (up), pass, promote, proudly [spoken], tower."4

One of the reason why translators have a difficult time translating the last phrase, "until David exceeded," in 1 Sam. 20:41 KJV". . . and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded" 1 Sam. 20:41 KJV. is because the verb "exceeded" is used without an object. "Exceed" means "to be greater, as in quantity or degree" and "to surpass others; excel or be superior" when it is used in a sentence without an object according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, so perhaps the translations that state David's grief and crying was greater than Jonathan's are more accurate. However, the word ad translated as "until" is bothersome because, when it is used as a preposition, it denotes "onward to or till (a specified time or occurrence)" according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

According to Strong's Concordance, ad can also be translated as "as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with): - against, and, as, at, before, by (that), even (to), for (-asmuch as), [hither-] to, + how long, into, as long (much) as, (so) that, till, toward, until, when, while, (+ as) yet" ("ad." Strong, 1995/1996, Hebrew section p. 102, entry 5704). Basically, the phrase could be translated as "until David grew" or "until David was greater," which doesn't make much sense without the words "grief" or "cries" interjected into the phrase. Perhaps a more accurate translation in the KJV should have been "while David exceeded."